Author Focus: William Shakespeare

Birthday-adorned Shakespeare statue. Alabama Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery, AL






“To be, or not to be?” William Shakespeare ceased to be on April 23rd, 1616, seventy years to the week after he was baptized, and on the very day traditionally observed as his birthday. He is a man who needs no introduction, for despite his relatively modest origins in England, he has become a titan of world literature, translated into every living language, and a man whose plays continue to be performed across the world and continually adapted to different contexts and cultures . We may find his phrases on the mouths of gunmen in New York, for instance, as in Romeo + Juliet (1996), in feudal Japan ( As You Like It , 2007) or among Russian noblemen in Hamlet (1996). His effect on the English language has been profound, surpassed only by the King James Bible in terms of contributing phrases to everyday English. Have you gone on a wild goose chase, dispatched something in one fell swoop, broke the ice, slept not a wink, or sent someone packing? These phrases and more have come from Shakespeare’s body of work. He is known primarily for his plays, especially the tragedies, but his sonnets are also known and often quoted — “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” Given his iconic status, there’s no end to speculation about his life and work, though little is positively known. He married Anne Hathaway in 1582, with whom he had three children: Susannah, Hamnet, and Judith. His works were appearing on stage by 1592. His body of work includes unforgettable characters like the jealous and manipulative villain Iago, and the clever Marc Anthony who manages to condemn Caesar’s attackers even as he praises them with his words. We find humans here at their best and worst, often consumed with passion — for good or ill. Who is not stirred by Henry the Fifth’s speech to inspire his men after weeks of hard combat, or by Shylock’s plea denouncing antisemitism? Even Romeo and Juliet’s sweet words to one another, which led to such tragedy in their story, still beguile us. Many of Shakespeare’s works were adaptations of preexisting stories, though “The Tempest” is wholly original and arguably features the Bard himself as a character, as the sorcerer Prospero whose actions drive the story and manipulate the character just the Bard himself did as writer — and fittingly, given that Prospero gives up his powers at the conclusion, “The Tempest” was his last major work. Fun Shakespeare Resources : “ Shakespeare: Original Pronunciation “. A father and son explore how listening to Shakespeare’s words as they were reveals more wordplay than modern audiences can appreciate. Two-thirds of the Bard’s sonnets have rhymes that are lost when read in modern English. William Shatner delivers the “ Once more into the breach ” speech. The Reduced Shakespeare Company’s “Romeo and Juliet “, 13 minutes.



Member Reviews :




All’s Well That Ends Well ( Carol ) ( J. E. Fountain ) ( whatmeread )



Antony and Cleopatra ( Fanda ) ( J. E. Fountain ) ( Laura ) ( Patty ) ( whatmeread )



As You Like It ( adamsbibliomania ) ( Alluminor ) ( Ekaterina ) ( eloisej ) ( Patty )



The Comedy of Errors ( eloisej ) ( J. E. Fountain ) ( Melissa ) ( Patty )



Coriolanus ( Alluminor ) ( Fanda ) ( J. E. Fountain ) ( Listra ) ( Melissa ) ( whatmeread )



Cymbeline ( lesserknowngems ) ( Melissa ) ( Patty )



Edward III ( J. E. Fountain )



Hamlet ( Celine ) ( Cleo ) ( Elisa ) ( eloisej ) ( Fanda ) ( J. E. Fountain ) ( Hamlette ) ( Irene ) ( jackiemania ) ( Jane @ Greenish Bookshelf ) ( Kristina ) ( liviepearl ) ( N@ncy ) ( whatmeread )



Henry IV Part I ( J. E. Fountain ) ( Listra )



Henry IV Part II ( Listra )



Henry V ( Arenel ) ( eloisej ) ( Listra ) ( Melissa )



Henry VI Part I ( whatmeread )



Henry VI Part II ( whatmeread )



Henry VI Part III ( whatmeread )



Julius Caesar ( Amy ) ( Hobby Buku ) ( Carol ) ( Ekaterina ) ( J. E. Fountain ) ( Kristina ) ( Laura ) ( Listra ) ( Fanda ) ( melmarian )



King John ( alison8707 )



King Lear ( eloisej ) ( Fanda ) ( Josh’s Mom ) ( Kristina ) ( whatmeread )



Love’s Labors Lost ( Beth ) ( lesserknowngems ) ( Listra ) ( Melissa )



Macbeth ( adamsbibliomania ) ( Arenel ) ( Beth ) ( Loni C. ) ( eloisej ) ( Fanda ) ( J. E. Fountain ) ( Jane @ Greenish Bookshelf ) ( Kelly Lyn ) ( Maggie ) ( Paula Peters ) ( rizlatnar ) ( whatmeread )



Measure for Measure ( J. E. Fountain ) ( Rachel – What Rachel Did )



The Merchant of Venice ( Fanda ) ( Patty )



The Merry Wives of Windsor ( J. E. Fountain )



A Midsummer Night’s Dream ( Ekaterina ) ( Fanda ) ( J. E. Fountain ) ( katarinaandcatharina ) ( Laura ) ( N@ncy )



Much Ado About Nothing ( Amanda ) ( J. E. Fountain ) ( Maggie ) ( Patty )



Othello ( J. E. Fountain ) ( Jean @ Howling Frog ) ( Josh’s Mom ) ( N@ncy ) ( Rachel – What Rachel Did ) ( whatmeread )



Poems ( J. E. Fountain )



The Rape of Lucrece ( J. E. Fountain ) ( Listra )



Richard II ( Listra ) ( Melissa ) ( N@ncy )



Richard III ( adamsbibliomania ) ( Alluminor ) ( Fanda ) ( Laura ) ( Listra ) ( sempiternalloveforbooks )



Romeo and Juliet ( eloisej ) ( Fanda ) ( Josje ) ( Kelly Lyn ) ( Melissa )



Sonnets ( J. E. Fountain )



The Taming of the Shrew ( Fanda ) ( Kristina ) ( Melissa W. )



The Tempest ( Becky ) ( J. E. Fountain ) ( Jane @ Greenish Bookshelf ) ( Kristina ) ( Sam )



Timon of Athens ( Amy ) ( J. E. Fountain ) ( Melissa )



Titus Andronicus ( whatmeread )



Troilus and Cressida ( Melissa )



Twelfth Night ( Alluminor ) ( Amy ) ( Arenel ) ( Carol ) ( emilysbrainworks ) ( Fanda ) ( J. E. Fountain ) ( Katrina – Pining for the West ) ( melmarian ) ( Melissa W .)



The Two Gentlemen of Verona ( adamsbibliomania ) ( J. E. Fountain )



The Two Noble Kinsmen ( Melissa )



Venus and Adonis ( J. E. Fountain ) ( Listra )



The Winter’s Tale ( Carol ) ( Lindsey )